Your thoughts on the Future

[Shikidum]

But we can move, comunicate, start our own businesses, organise antiwar demonstrations, opt out of certain political structures....

It's much better than in the midle ages.

[Iangould]

We'll mostly be happier and richer. Well, at least I will.

Stop spoiling people's fun.

We'll all be roon'd.

The human race is doomed unless everyone adopts my preferred political and economic policies.

[Iangould]

Meanwhile, if these people's plans come to fruition, in situ exploitation of space resources is only a few years away.

A new asteroid-mining company launches Tuesday with the goal of helping humanity expand across the solar system by tapping the vast riches of space rocks.

The new firm, called Deep Space Industries, Inc., announced Tuesday, Jan. 22, that it plans to launch a fleet of prospecting spacecraft in 2015, then begin harvesting metals and water from near-Earth asteroids within a decade or so. Such work could make it possible to build and refuel spacecraft far above our planet's surface, thus helping our species get a foothold in the final frontier.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/...#ixzz2IiEIa09N

[WinterSoldier76]

Hover Boards

[Nick Soapdish]

That's a fairly authoritharian move don't you think?

Any country that blackmails its citizens is at a moral low point compared to one that does not.

I'd settle for living in a country that doesn't actively discourage its citizens to vote.

See I have to respectfully disagree with that. There is too much wealth of minerals and other resources in space, the moon, asteroids, etc that it would be irresponsible to the continuation of our species not to utilize them. The moon alone has a wealth of other elements like iron, mercury, silver, titanium, etc.

For example scientist speculate that we may eventually run out of the element Helium here on Earth. It would only make sense that corporations in the future would see some sort of profit in mining Helium from deposits on the Moon. I know mining a lighter-than-air gas may sound ridiculous but it can be found in other states-of-matter that make it possible. I think eventually corporations will figure this out but only if there is a profit involved because obviously the costs would be astronomical. Sry for the pun. The resources themselves might actually pay for the trip so it may very well be feasible.

Helium, yes. Same with iron and titanium. But the moon is most likely to be have just the elements on the lower end of the periodic table through iron. So it's not likely to be a source for silver or mercury. Other planets are a lot more likely however - and a lot tougher to get to.

[Eumenides]

But we can move, comunicate, start our own businesses, organise antiwar demonstrations, opt out of certain political structures....

It's much better than in the midle ages.

In the middle ages there weren't passports and you could go wherever you wanted, cross borders at will and not be asked for identification papers, save in some exceptions.

People were also free to start their own businesses, in fact that's what the Guilds and Leagues existed for, to foster business amongst professionals of the same trade and grant protection, cooperation and help in hard times.

Granted, anti-war demonstrations perhaps didn't exist, but I'll take the courage peasants had to storm castles and behead princes and authority figures when they were stepped on their toes too much; these people weren't afraid to take up arms and fight for their rights when it was called for and the powers were always worried about upsetting the rabble too much. Nowadays we organize protests and we think we've accomplished something. And the politicians and rules continue to fuck with us because they'll know we'll just organize more protests.

As for opting out of the ruling (I presume that's what you mean) political structures, no you can't. If you're inside a nation, you have to abide by that nation's rules; try to go against the grain and see how quickly the authorities will make your life hell. If you migrate, you'll have the same problem in the other country. And sadly most countries are politically identical, whether they claim to be left or right wing. At best you can become apolitical, apathetic, mind your own business, which is also what the powers want, for you to go about not making waves. On the other hand, in the middle ages many had the strength of conviction to create their own communities and live according to their own principles. Often they ended up butchered, of course, but no one ever said freedom came easily.

[Eumenides]

Scary to think about but I've felt this way about our last five Presidents

It's what the European Union is.

[Ood Omega]

Manned space flight is still important, but mostly from the angle of "that's the only thing that gets people whipped up enough to pay for space stuff."

If I could afford it I would go on a space flight vacation like the ones Virgin Galactic offers. What I wanna know is "Where's my vacation of the moon?".

Helium, yes. Same with iron and titanium. But the moon is most likely to be have just the elements on the lower end of the periodic table through iron. So it's not likely to be a source for silver or mercury. Other planets are a lot more likely however - and a lot tougher to get to.

here's the article I took those elements from.

http://mining.about.com/od/Innovatio...And-Mapped.htm

Your right the lower elements are probably more plentiful. The article mentions light deposits of silver, gold and aluminum among some others.

Hover Boards

Marty McFly is that you?

[Captain Clarkie]

In the middle ages there weren't passports and you could go wherever you wanted, cross borders at will and not be asked for identification papers, save in some exceptions.

People were also free to start their own businesses, in fact that's what the Guilds and Leagues existed for, to foster business amongst professionals of the same trade and grant protection, cooperation and help in hard times.

I'll take the courage peasants had to storm castles and behead princes and authority figures when they were stepped on their toes too much; these people weren't afraid to take up arms and fight for their rights when it was called for and the powers were always worried about upsetting the rabble too much.

Don't let actual history get in the way of the utter tosh you're posting.

[Iangould]

Depending on the country and the time period, up to 80% of the population of medieval European countries were serfs who couldn't leave their village much less the country without prior permission from their lord.

Under the Elizabethan Poor Law (which remained in force for roughly the next two hundred years) the penalty for a pauper leaving their home parish was death.

[sHayden]

I would certainly be first in line for some Shadowrun style cyberware. I'm not sure what that says about me though that I would willingly get mechanical eyes/arm/ears/whatever.

[Shikidum]

Nick posted

I'd settle for living in a country that doesn't actively discourage its citizens to vote.

I do not belive voting should be activelz discouraged, nor should anyone be denied the right uf they want to use it.

[Eumenides]

Don't let actual history get in the way of the utter tosh you're posting.

Which part is tosh? That passports were only invented in World War I because of espionage? That Workers' Guilds existed? That there were peasant revolts?

[Iangould]

Which part is tosh? That passports were only invented in World War I because of espionage? That Workers' Guilds existed? That there were peasant revolts?

You'll noter that all those peasant's revolts were suppressed usually with a degree of savagery we don;t see in the modern world outside of, maybe, Congo and adjoining states in central Africa.

The savagery is somewhat understandable since the rebels (in France's Jacquerie for example) used to do stuff like disembowel the infant children of nobles while they were still alive and then parade them around as battle standards.

Are you sure you find that preferable to the ballot box?

And guilds weren't "workers guilds". Quite to the contrary, besides maintaining prices and suppressing competition from non-guild members, one of the main roles of guilds was to keep wages down and black0-list any apprentice or journeyman who gave their master any problems. (That's why the peasant rebels frequently used to kill most guild members out of hand as well.)

[Iangould]

Oh and worker's guilds or as we'd call them "unions" were illegal in England prior to the 1830's. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported to Australia for life for "conspiracy to maintain the level of wages".